Modi’s unfulfilled promises
The Union budget presented in the Parliament on July 23, was deeply disappointing.
There was no mention of healthcare, education, and the railways, especially given the recent track record of accidents.
The budget reeked of partisanship as evident from the special treatment given to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, two States whose allies prop up the NDA government at the Centre.
Most importantly, the poor, whose real income has been falling and exacerbated by galloping food inflation, has been ignored. The people of India should realise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made many promises in the past, but has never fulfilled any of them in the last 10 years of his tenure — not even the promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank accounts of every Indian citizen.
The BJP had come to power in 2014 by selling the dream of ‘achhe din’. But the people now understand that those promises have long fallen flat. Modi has been betraying the people of India to a large extent, right from the time he became the country’s PM.
Jubel D’Cruz, Mumbai
Death on roads
The death of a young girl due to uprooting of a tree and that of a boy while trying to save a calf is shocking. The list of such deaths is getting longer by the day/hour.
The so-called development by widening the roads has perhaps loosened the soil around the trees and has also invited the cattle to squat on the roads.
The failure of the city fathers and other authorities to identify these dangers and take necessary action is deplorable.
Many more people will die due to falling branches and coconuts, uprooting of trees, potholes and open drains, hanging overhead live wires, stray dogs chasing bikes, cattle occupying the roads, careless parking on roadsides, unauthorised kiosks, to name a few.
Our lives are precious only during election time as politicians erect pandals, ramps and bring wheelchairs to ensure you go to the booth and vote for them.
Thereafter, we have to fend for ourselves. Sadly, these are encouraged by people, who have vested interests and no regard or respect for the other citizens. I wonder how many times we, citizens will have to go through all this?
Jonas Correia, Aldona
Illegal to sell liquor near schools
The government should not regularise all liquor outlets that have come up within 100 metres of educational institutions, hospitals, temples and religious institutions.
It should not spoil the atmosphere. This is a classic case of the government buckling under pressure from the liquor lobby. The Goa Excise Act as per Rule 90 (4), liquor has been prohibited from operating within 100 metres of schools, colleges, and religious institutions like temples.
The measure is absolutely necessary to provide a good atmosphere. Free the students, teachers and non-teaching from the menace of Tasmac customers. The government is law abiding and will not allow any violation of norms by anyone. Instead of tweaking the rule for permitting licence within 100 metres with hefty licence fees, it should refrain from renewing the licence for liquor shops.
However, these laws are not implemented in the true sense. The laws in this case are merely on paper as they are never executed. But in our country, liquor shops form the major source of income for the government, affecting many people of our country, who play a major role in the development and culture of our homes.
K G Vilop, Chorao
Why was Caurem family kept in darkness?
Is the Goa government is of the people, by the people and for the people? If so, why Caurem-Pirla family was kept in darkness for 45 days when Raghoba Gaonkar’s family complained to the department.
And why the family was told to pay Rs 30,000 for electricity poles to be erected in the ward in 2016.
Despite paying the amount, the family was forced to run from pillar to post and after this effort, poles reached the ward, but again the family was told by the department to hire a tractor to shift the electricity poles which the family purchased for Rs 30,000.
Is this the way our Electricity Department is functioning in Goa? Or the MLA of the constituency and the minister concerned was waiting for Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai to raise this issue in the Assembly?
Then only the minister concerned got up from his slumber and promised to electrify the family’s house within 48 hours. And he kept his word. But what about the amount of Rs 30,000 paid by the family to the Electricity Department?
And that also for 15 poles for which Raghoba family waited for eight years. The Electricity Department and the minister concerned should give justice to the Raghoba family.
Restoring electricity is not enough, otherwise the family will have to run for another eight years to get their amount of Rs 30,000 reimbursed.
Natividade Fernandes, Cavelossim
Dilution of midday meal
Lakhs of underprivileged school children struggling to overcome anaemia and malnutrition have benefited from the ‘PM POSHAN Scheme’ that aims at addressing the two-fold challenge of hunger and education.
India is one of the very few countries that provide school going children one nutritious meal a day.
A huge scheme like POSHAN - the erstwhile midday meal scheme - is prone to lethargy, corruption and poor implementation.
There have been reports of food adulteration and food poisoning in midday meals. After a reported incident from an Uttar Pradesh school in 2019, where roti was served with salt as a ‘meal’, the Centre totally overhauled the midday scheme.
However, food adulteration and food poisoning are still being reported. Recently, a dead snake was found in one of the ‘dal-khichdi’ packets served to students of an anganwadi or government-run nursery school in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. The godown that stored food packets, before being distributed to the children, has been sealed.
But much more needs to be done including booking the contractors responsible for the lapse. Care should be taken to ensure such incidents never occur because the scared children may think twice before consuming a midday meal in future.
Ganapathi Bhat, Akola